WO2009007585A1

WO2009007585A1 - Proxy message transmission

Info

Publication number: WO2009007585A1
Application number: PCT/FR2008/051134
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mira Bou Farah
Original assignee: France Telecom
Priority date: 2007-06-27
Filing date: 2008-06-24
Publication date: 2009-01-15

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for transmitting data to a receiver device. The method comprises the following steps: the step of recording at least one authorisation given to a first user by a second user, to send at least one message in the name of said second user; the step of generating a message by the first user; the step of inserting an identifier of said second user into the message; and the step of sending said message to a receiver device from a terminal user by the first user. Accordingly, the invention can be used for sending a message in the name of a principal from the terminal of a proxy to any user of a terminal. The user can receive the message and see that it is a message sent in the name of the principal.

Description

SENDING M ESSAGES BY MAN DAT

The present invention relates to a method of transmitting data to a destination device. Such methods are commonly implemented, for example in e-mail systems of the email type (or "e-mail") in the following called "conventional messaging systems" allowing the exchange of messages electronically between a first computer and a second computer. Software running on such systems is also known as "mail clients". In these systems, the exchange of messages is asynchronous, that is to say that a recipient user will read a message after an indefinite time interval relative to the sending of the message by a sender user. Among various protocols commonly used for the exchange of e-mails are for example the referenced protocols SMTP (abbreviation of the expression "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol"), POP3 (abbreviation of the expression "Post Office Protocol version 3"), I MAP4 (abbreviation of the English term "Internet Message Access Protocol"), which are different from those implemented in instant messaging systems. Such systems provide a user with "I nstant Messenger Services" (I MS) services. In instant messaging systems, the exchange of messages is synchronous, which means that the recipient user reads the message immediately, an exchange of messages can be initiated only if the sending user and the recipient user are simultaneously available. Continuous message exchange is therefore easier with an instant messaging system than with a conventional messaging system. Moreover, an instant messaging system manages the presence of users (transmitters / recipients) connected to it, unlike a conventional messaging system. The most used protocols for instant messaging are XMPP (abbreviation of the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) and SI MPLE (abbreviation of the English term "Session I nitiation Protocol for I nstant Messaging and Presence Leveragmg Extensions"). ). Software that manages conventional messaging systems is not compatible with instant messaging systems, because the architecture of a conventional messaging system is different from the architecture of instant messaging. It is therefore impossible to transpose them to instant messaging systems. It is currently impossible in an instant messaging system to send messages by mandate, ie it is impossible for a user A said "proxy" to send messages in the name of a user B says "principal". The present invention aims to overcome these disadvantages by proposing a method of exchange by mandate of instant messages through an instant messaging system. According to the invention, a method according to the introductory paragraph is characterized in that it comprises: a step of recording at least one authorization, granted to a first user by a second user, of sending at least one a message on behalf of said second user,

a step of developing a message by the first user,

a step of inserting an identifier of said second user in said message, and a step of sending said message to the recipient device, from a terminal used by the first user.

The method has the advantage of allowing the sending of a message on behalf of a client from the terminal of a proxy to any user of a terminal. This user will receive the message and will be able to see that it is a message sent on behalf of the principal. In a variant, the method is characterized in that said recording step comprises recording said authorization in a central memory. This advantageously allows the first user to use the authorization granted to him by the second user, regardless of the access method of the first user. The use of the authorization by the first user is therefore independent of the terminal used by the first user.

In a variant, the method is characterized in that it comprises a step of inserting in said message an identifier of said first user.

In this way, the user who will receive the message will also be able to see who is the sender of this message. In a variant, the method is characterized in that it comprises a step of sending said message to said second user

This allows the second user to keep track of messages sent on his behalf. In a variant, the method is characterized in that said authorization further comprises a list of authorized recipients, said method further comprising a verification step before said sending of said message that the recipient of said message is included in said list.

In this way, the principal can specify the recipients to which the proxy can send messages on his behalf. The verification step prevents the proxy from sending messages to unauthorized recipients by the principal. In a variant, the method is characterized in that said list is a so-called closed list. This allows the proxy to have flexibility to select recipients but within certain limits.

In a variant, the method is characterized in that said authorization comprises a predefined period during which said authorization is valid. In this way, the principal can specify a time slot defining the period of validity of the authorization.

In a variant, the method is characterized in that said message comprises an instant message.

The invention also relates to a device for transmitting data to a destination device, characterized in that it comprises:

means for recording at least one authorization, granted to a first user by a second user, of sending at least one message to the name of said second user,

means for generating a message by the first user; means for inserting an identifier of said second user in said message; and

means for sending said message to the recipient device from a terminal used by the first user.

The invention also relates to a computer program comprising program code instructions for executing at least one of the steps of a method according to the methods described above, when said program is executed on a computer.

The invention also relates to a data carrier including a program as described above.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the following description, given by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a timing diagram illustrating the evolution of the method according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a partial block diagram describing a system embodying the invention,

Figure 1 shows schematically the method according to the invention. The method comprises an authorization step 11 (or "delegation"). During this step 1 1, a user of a first terminal such as for example a mobile phone, which user will hereinafter called "client", authorizes a user of a second terminal, which user will hereinafter be called "proxy". ", to send messages on behalf of the principal. To achieve this, the principal sends an authorization to a database from his terminal. This base of data is in a server. This server is on a communication network. The authorization will include an identifier for the principal, for example in the case where the first terminal is a mobile phone, the mobile phone number of the principal or his name. The authorization will be stored on the network in the database. BIe will be recorded, for example as an additional line in the database.

In general, an instant messaging system makes it possible to assign to a user (proxy or principal) the same account (or profile) regardless of his access method, so independent of the terminal used, that he / she act for example a mobile phone, a personal computer, called in English "personal computer" (PC) or another type of terminal. The information contained in an account is transmitted from the user's terminal to the database of the server that is on the network. This information may include additions to a user's contact list, permissions, and so on. All this data is stored in the database. The terminal of a user is updated based on the data in the database. During a step 12, the agent receives this authorization. The authorization can be sent to the proxy when the proxy terminal is connected to the database. This database contains proxy-related data, including authorization from the principal. The terminal interface is updated based on data included in the database. This update is carried out according to the following way: either at the connection, or with a self-check (every 30 minutes for example), the terminal of the proxy sends a request to the database with its identifier, it gets in return a message containing the list of his constituents; the terminal then updates by updating the list of constituents of the proxy associated with the terminal. Following the request, an exchange of data occurs between the database and the terminal of the agent to update the list of constituents It is in its interface that the agent will see the authorization and will appear in its list, entitled for example "authorizations", a representative identifier of the principal. As the explanation below will clearly show, the proxy can then send messages by selecting in a field of the message entitled "From:" the identifier of the principal.

An agent may have several principals; there will therefore be several identifiers, each then being representative of a principal in the list entitled "authorizations". It is also possible to provide in the field "From:" a drop-down list of identifiers of possible constituents. During a next step 13, the proxy writes a message. It includes in its message a field with the identifier of the principal, for example its name. This identifier is chosen from the identifiers present in its list entitled "authorizations". The field itself can for example show the text "From" or "from". The message will include, in a known manner, a field entitled "From", containing an identifier of the proxy, a field "to", containing an identifier (or identifiers) of a recipient (or several recipients), an "object" field, containing the subject of the message and of course a "message" field containing the message as such. This message can be multimedia, that is to say contain one or more text, images, videos, audios ...

During a next step, the proxy orders the sending of its message to a recipient or recipients. This step 15 will include a check in the database that is on the network to check if the authorization of the principal is present there. During the sending of a message there will be a connection to the database to check the identifier of the proxy and the identifier of the principal. If they are there, the message is sent.

During a next step 17, the message is conveyed in known manner to the recipient or the recipients. Each recipient will see that the message was sent on behalf of the principal. The identifier (for example a name or number) of the proxy may be absent from the message or may be present. In the absence of an identifier for the proxy, the recipient sees appear instead of the identifier, for example a series of asterisks. The name of the principal can be imposed by the principal, or configured by the agent, or recovered (when sending) according to a profile of the principal. The current profile is the one currently in effect (at the time of sending). Instant messaging systems allow a particular user to configure multiple profiles with associated identifiers. The identifier for the client that appears in the message can therefore, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, change from one message to another.

In an alternative embodiment, after the verification step, the message is also conveyed to the client. For this, it is necessary for the client, during the authorization step 1 1 or after, to record in the database that he wishes to receive a copy of a message sent by the proxy in his name. The method according to the invention verifies during step 15 whether such a recording is present or not. In an alternative embodiment, during the authorization step 1 1, the client specifies in a list the possible recipients, that is to say the client creates a list with identifiers to which the authorized agent is authorized by the principal to send messages on behalf of the principal. This list can be called "closed" or "open". A closed list is a list of recipients including for example the following identifiers: {+ 33650 ^* , 0610203040, ^{* * *} @ abcsoft.com}. This means that the proxy can send messages to all phone numbers that have the first 5 digits 33650 in common, to the phone number 0610203040 and to all email addresses that have abcsoft.com as a domain name. An open list is a list, such as { ^* }. This means that the proxy can send messages to any recipient.

If the proxy has been authorized by more than one principal, the recipient lists may be different. Depending on the client selected in the "From From" field list, the list of possible recipients is also updated in the "To" field. In this variant, during the step 15 of sending the message, there will also be a check in the database if the identifiers of the recipients have been authorized. If so, the message will be sent. In this variant, an authorization corresponds to a list of possible recipients. When sending the message, there is a check in the database that the recipients are actually part of the list authorized for the corresponding client.

The client may also define an authorization period for a recipient and / or multiple recipients and add such a period for a given recipient in the list. In this case, this list with all this information (i.e. numbers and / or periods) will be recorded in the database on the network.

During step 15 in this case, the database also checks that the time of sending is included in the authorized period. If so, the message will be sent.

If necessary, the client can modify recipients and / or the authorization period by sending a modified list to the database on the network.

A principal may appoint more than one agent, an agent may be mandated by several principals, and an agent may in turn appoint one or more agents. This entails the execution of steps 1 1 and 12 of the method described above several times. Figure 2 will be used to describe the system according to the invention. By using a terminal 21, a client can send, to a memory 27, for example a database located on a server 23 on a communication network 25, information concerning a proxy. Optionally, the client may send to the memory 27 information specifying the recipient or recipients to which the agent is authorized by the principal to send messages on behalf of the principal. The principal may also specify periods during which his authorization is valid. This information will also be conveyed through the communication network 25 from the terminal 21 to the memory 27 of the server 23. Using a terminal 30, a proxy can send a message in the name of the client.

In the case where the client has specified the recipients, a module 29 in the server 23 checks before sending if the authorization for the identifier specified in the field "to" is present and for the period in question. If so, the message will be sent to destination terminals 213 and, where appropriate, also to the terminal 21 of the client through the communication network 25. If not, the message is not sent to the recipient's terminal.

In the following will be explained how the invention can be used with some architectures.

In the case of an "IP Multimedia Subsystem" ("I MS") architecture using the Session I Nitiation Protocol ("SI P"), and as known to those skilled in the art, the network 25 will contain a proxy server enabling establish an exchange of messages between the terminal 30 and the terminal or the terminals 213. The proxy server serves as an interface for sending SI SI messages NVI TE and 200 OK to establish a communication session between the terminal 30 and the terminal. However, according to the invention, in the header of these messages, an additional field "From" (in English: "ComingFrom") is present. of communication between the terminal 30 and the terminal or the terminals 213 is established, the following messages SI P also contain a header including not only the conventional fields: - From: (in English: "From:")

- A: (in English: "To:") but also the additional field:

- From: (in English: "ComingFrom:") The title and the message as such (that is, the information that the user of the terminal 30 wants to send to the terminal or terminals 213) are present in the body (in English: "body") of these SI P following message.

The network 25 will also contain a registration server (in English: "Registrar Server") where all the terminals 21, 23 and 213 will be previously recorded before any exchange of messages.

The "I Multimedia Subsystem" is an architecture of mobile multimedia protocol I P defined by the consortium 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) which combines operators and solution providers. The "I Multimedia Subsystem" is based on the idea that communication networks become "all-I P". An architecture that takes full advantage of the increase in bandwidth (from 9.6 KB per second in 2G to 384 KB with 3G and up to 4 MB per second in 3G + for the transport of video services) by multiplying multimedia services, including data transfer, including video, TV, ringtones, etc. The I Multimedia Subsystem is a technology that streamlines development processes.

The exchange of messages between the terminal 23 and the terminal or the terminals 213 will proceed in a "conventional" manner except that a message sent from the terminal 23 to the terminal or the terminals 213 will contain a field entitled "From "(in English:" ComingFrom ") with an identifier for the terminal 21.

The invention can also be used in an MMS architecture (abbreviation of the English expression "Multimedia Messaging Service"). In this case, the proxy typically composes on its terminal an MMS message that it wishes to send to a recipient by choosing a proxy from a list entitled "from:". The agent fills the field "From" by the mobile number of the principal.

The invention provides for adding in the MMS message header a new "ComingFrom" field. To ensure compatibility with current MMS devices (MMS terminals, MMS-Center servers), this field is optional. This field will be present in the interfaces MM1 (between a terminal and an MMS-Center), MM4 (between a first MMS-Center and a second MMS-Center) and MM7 (between a content provider and an MMS-Center) . When the "From" field is missing from the transaction, the MMS message will be processed conventionally. In this case, a transaction is the message MM1, MM4 or MM7. The invention can also be used in an SMS architecture (abbreviation of the English expression "Short Message Service"). The transmission of SMS between the SMS-Center and the mobile can be done through different protocols such as the one known on SS7 (abbreviation of the English expression "Signaling System # 7) within the framework of the standard protocol GSM MAP (for English : "Mobile Application Part"), or the TCP / IP with the same standard.

The invention consists in this case to add in the protocol used for the SMS the optional field "ComingFrom". However, it is possible, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, to transform the SMS into an MMS Text

Currently conventional messaging systems already allow messages to be sent by a user A (proxy) from a user B (client). It should be noted, however, that sending is asynchronous in this case. In addition, the database containing the permissions is on the mail server, that is: if another mail server is used, such a process will no longer work. Also, in the case of such a method, in the protocol used, for example the SMTP protocol, there is only one field containing both an identifier of the user A and the identifier of the user. user B. The identifier for user A is filled automatically by the software managing the conventional messaging system. It is therefore this software that recognizes and informs the address of the user A. In the invention the database containing the permissions is located on a central server, to allow a user of the system to have the same functionalities and the same interface on his mobile, his PC ... Also, it is in a mandatory field entitled "From" that the user A will inform himself as a transmitter (agent), and it is in an additional field optional "ComingFrom" that he himself will provide an identifier for the user B (the principal).

Claims

REVEN DI CATI ONS

1) A method of transmitting data to a recipient device, characterized in that it comprises: a step of recording at least one authorization, granted to a first user by a second user, of sending at least one message on behalf of said second user,

a step of developing a message by the first user,

2) Method according to claim 1 characterized in that said step of recording comprises the recording of said authorization in a central memory.

3) Method according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that it further comprises

a step of inserting in said message an identifier of said first user.

4) Process according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that it further comprises

a step of sending said message to said second user.

5) Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that said authorization further comprises a list of authorized recipients, said method further comprising a verification step before said sending said message that the recipient of said message is included in said list.

6) Method according to claim 5 characterized in that said list is a so-called closed list.

7) Method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that said authorization comprises a predefined period during which said authorization is valid.

8) Method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that said message comprises an instant message. 9) Device for transmitting data to a destination device, characterized in that it comprises:

means for recording at least one authorization, granted to a first user by a second user, of sending at least one message on behalf of said second user,

means for generating a message by the first user,

means for inserting an identifier of said second user in said message, and

A computer program comprising program code instructions for performing at least one of the steps of a method according to claims 1 to 8, when said program is executed on a computer.